Tricorn Construction Question

23 posts in this topic

Having made a couple of tricorns from blanks, which I trimmed with 'glued' on mettalic braid, I want to try something a little more challenging, like sewing on a fabric 'ribbon' trim. So the question is... what kind of material would be suitable, and how should I go about sewing it? Do you sew it on before or after steaming and tacking the sides? And do you fold it over the edge of the brim and sew it to both sides, or just sew it flat on the 'outside' side? Also, hand or machine, and what kind of stitch? TIA!

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Hmmm. I have made a few tri-corns myself, but never have I sewed any thing to them or glued for that mater. Once I have them tied up and shapped I coat them in a bee's wax kind of stuff, it gives them a really worn and authentic look. I forget what the stuff is called, but you can get it at a hardware store, usually in the paint section.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Once I have them tied up and shapped I coat them in a bee's wax kind of stuff, it gives them a really worn and authentic look. I forget what the stuff is called, but you can get it at a hardware store, usually in the paint section.

Share on other sites

Go to a fabric store, pick your trim. Pin it to the tricorn. Sewing it is easy. Use an upholstery needle to get through the thick hat material (thimbles help). Just keep working your way around. Have the two ends meet in the back. Tie off the thread occasionally so that if something comes undone you don't lose the whole thing. I've had my trim on for 15 years now using this method. Don't, repeat don't, glue the trim....

-- Hurricane

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Interests:Hi my name is Ace. I’m married (my wife’s name is Lisa), I have 2 daughters, one a junior in high school, the other is married and has 2 children herself. Yes, I’m a grandfather. And now the “real” bio (even written in the 3rd person! ooooh, aaaahhh) Everything you never needed to know...<br><br>Ace has always been a performer. Starting as a rogue pyrate for Hallowe’en when he was 5 years of age. Eventually making a living for 15 years as a magician, cutting people into different parts or making them float or disappear and then branching out into eating fire, swallowing swords, lying on a bed of nails, juggling everything from fire and knives to bowling balls, performing ventriloquism or escaping from straight jackets at corporate events and amusement parks. This all topped off by performances on the Disney Channel, Evening Magazine and comedy shows on A&E.<br><br>After producing, directing and performing a show for Paramount’s Great America that ran 6 shows a day, 6 days a week for 2 full seasons Ace decided it was time for a change…<br><br>Ace began his career in animation and effects more than fourteen years ago working on Disney’s “Ghosts, Myths and Legends of the Queen Mary”. From there he moved on to the game industry as a sr. animator working on titles for Atari Games such as: Virtua Racing for the Sega Saturn, San Francisco RUSH! for the N64, and was lead artist for Wayne Gretzky’s 3D Hockey.<br><br>During this time Ace also began teaching animation and 3D modeling for the Academy of Art College in San Francisco and taught 3D animation seminars in New York, California and Tokyo, Japan at industry conventions. As if he wasn’t busy enough, also wrote numerous articles in industry publications, contributed to books and produced a series of popular 3D modeling training tapes.<br><br>Ace left Atari to work as lead artist for 3D software company Newtek Inc. Aside from creating in-house animation, he also became “main stage” demo geek at Siggraph and assorted trade shows all over the world. After as much fun as you can have partying at trade shows Ace got back into doing visual effects and animation for Fat Box Films, working on everything from commercials to… well, everything.<br><br>Currently Ace is a sr. animator at Electronic Arts working on games like James Bond: Everything or Nothing and Lord of the Rings. He performs on the weekends at local festivals and fairs and after all these years STILL loves to be a pyrate and has recreated much of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride in his front yard each year for Hallowe’en.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Interests:I *used* to be an environmental scientist, until I married a DoDDs teacher in 1997. Since then, I have been living in, and traveling around, Europe (First the UK, now Germany).

My hobbies are all the "usual suspects" for those interested in re-enacting and Golden Age of Piracy stuff.... but I have drifted away from the pirate scene as my location and young family don't allow for any more than "virtual" pirate participation. Besides Piracy, I am into Reverend Guitars and Vintage Corvettes.

Of course, you could age your trim to make it a tad more authentic. Me mate Iron Jack found some lovely trim and singed it a bit before attaching it to his hat (singed the feathers and added a "bullet hole" to it as well.)

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

The trim you see on the picture from my site is a wool hat with a period style worsted wool twill tape. You can find some in several colors from Wooded Hamlet.

GoF,

Thanks for the links! I was looking at the woodedhamlet site and I see they have both "Heavy Worsted Hat Braid" and the "Worsted Wool Twill Tape". To my (inexperienced) eye, the "Hat Braid" looks more like the trim on your hat than the "Twill Tape" does, but I can convince myself either way. Are you certain that yours is the Twill Tape? I want to make sure I get the right stuff... don't know if one is easier to work with, etc. TIA!

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Interests:I *used* to be an environmental scientist, until I married a DoDDs teacher in 1997. Since then, I have been living in, and traveling around, Europe (First the UK, now Germany).

My hobbies are all the "usual suspects" for those interested in re-enacting and Golden Age of Piracy stuff.... but I have drifted away from the pirate scene as my location and young family don't allow for any more than "virtual" pirate participation. Besides Piracy, I am into Reverend Guitars and Vintage Corvettes.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Interests:I *used* to be an environmental scientist, until I married a DoDDs teacher in 1997. Since then, I have been living in, and traveling around, Europe (First the UK, now Germany).

My hobbies are all the "usual suspects" for those interested in re-enacting and Golden Age of Piracy stuff.... but I have drifted away from the pirate scene as my location and young family don't allow for any more than "virtual" pirate participation. Besides Piracy, I am into Reverend Guitars and Vintage Corvettes.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Thanks for all the advice. I just ordered some black 1-1/2" Twill Tape, since they are out of stock on the hat braid. I'm going to try it out first on a black felt hat I made a while back with metallic trim. I recently 'waterproofed' it with thinned shellac, and when it dried, the edges sort of 'flared'. Neat look, but the metallic braid didn't fare well. So I'll make a reclamation project out of it when the twill tape arrives. I'll post a pic when the time comes. Thanks again!

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Interests:Have lived on a sailboat for many years and have now relocated to Fl and am "in the market" for a new ship ,I was a biker in my former life but when the sailing bug bit I found a new type of freedom on the ocean.I decided that the "American dream" wasnt for me and that I needed to carve my own path.At this time I am not sure what I am...just kinda lost in limbo...when I find meself I'll let ya know...and if you find me please return me

This may seem a dumb question but does anyone know where to find a pattern for making your own tricorn hat?The only patterns I kind find are big round kinda muskateer looking hats with big feathers,any help would be great. :angry:

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Interests:I *used* to be an environmental scientist, until I married a DoDDs teacher in 1997. Since then, I have been living in, and traveling around, Europe (First the UK, now Germany).

My hobbies are all the "usual suspects" for those interested in re-enacting and Golden Age of Piracy stuff.... but I have drifted away from the pirate scene as my location and young family don't allow for any more than "virtual" pirate participation. Besides Piracy, I am into Reverend Guitars and Vintage Corvettes.

A three cornered hat is just that. Most people get a hat "blank" and fold three sides up. You can tack the sides up with some linen thread.

If you check out my Tricorne Page you might get a better understanding....

But if you mean "how do you make a tricorne hat from scratch"...

Well that is a horse of a different colour.

Assuming you mean a period wool felt hat, you would need to get a pound or so of sheeps wool batts or roving. Its cleaned sheeps wool that is either in clumps (batts) or in kind of a roll (roving).

You "felt" the wool by using warm water and soap. You lay a matrix of wool down, one layer, then another at 90 degrees, then another layer 90 degrees excetera. Then you soak it with soapy water. The soapy water helps the individual wool "hairs" to stretch out its "fingers" and mesh with surrounding hair. Its kind of like making wool dread locks.

You use gentle agitation (like putting it between two towels and rolling it up applying pressure.

The end result is that you have a "sheet" of wool felt.

You then shape the sheet of wool felt into what is known as a felt hood (its what it is before its a "hat blank" you could also just google "felt hoods" and start the hat making process from there).

Then, using steam and a form, you shape the hood into a hat. fold up the sides and viola! Tricorne.

Now, this is a simplification of the process, but that is generally what you do.

If you are itching to try it for your self, I would definately google :

Felt making

Hat making

Wool Bats

Felt Hood

Felt Hat Blanks

And definately post pictures of your progress.

GoF

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Interests:Have lived on a sailboat for many years and have now relocated to Fl and am "in the market" for a new ship ,I was a biker in my former life but when the sailing bug bit I found a new type of freedom on the ocean.I decided that the "American dream" wasnt for me and that I needed to carve my own path.At this time I am not sure what I am...just kinda lost in limbo...when I find meself I'll let ya know...and if you find me please return me